Shop opening hours

In Hesse, sales outlets may be open for business with customers from 0:00 - 24:00 on working days.

Sales outlets must be closed for business at the following times:

• on Sundays and public holidays,
• on Maundy Thursday from 20:00,
• on 24.12 , if this day falls on a working day, from 14:00 and
• on 31 December, if this day falls on a working day, from 14:00.

During these times, it is also forbidden to offer goods for sale to anyone outside the sales outlets.

Notwithstanding the above, the following are permitted:

• Petrol stations from 0:00 - 24:00 for the supply of fuels, spare parts for maintaining or restoring the roadworthiness of motor vehicles and for the supply of travel accessories,
• Points of sale at international commercial airports, airports and passenger railway stations from 0:00 - 24:00, but at airports and passenger railway stations only for the sale of travel goods,
• "digital micro-supermarkets", that is to say, fully automated retail outlets with a sales area of up to 120 square metres, which sell exclusively everyday goods and consumer products and are operated without sales staff using digital solutions, between 00:00 and 24:00
• Kiosks for the sale of newspapers, magazines, tobacco products, food and beverages in small quantities for a period of 6 hours,
• Sales outlets that mainly sell bakery or confectionery products for a period of 6 hours for the sale of fresh bakery and confectionery products,
• Sales outlets where flowers are offered for sale on a large scale are authorised to sell flowers for a period of 6 hours.
• Sales outlets of agricultural businesses, farm shops and co-operative sales outlets for a period of 6 hours for the sale of self-produced agricultural products
• Sales outlets in health resorts, excursion and pilgrimage destinations on up to 40 Sundays or public holidays per year for the sale of travel goods, sports articles, devotional items, goods characteristic of these locations and items for tourist use (the duration of opening hours on these days may not exceed 8 hours)

be open.

In addition, local authorities are authorised to permit the opening of retail outlets on up to four Sundays or public holidays each year to coincide with markets, fairs or special local events (special occasions). However, the following days are excluded: the Sundays in Advent, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Good Friday, the Easter holidays, the Whitsun holidays, Corpus Christi, the penultimate Sunday after Trinity Sunday (Remembrance Day) and the last Sunday after Trinity Sunday (All Souls’ Sunday) may not be authorised.

The regulations applicable in Hesse do not apply:

• at trade fairs, markets and exhibitions authorised by trade law or for wholesale markets authorised by trade law, if no goods are displayed for sale to the end consumer,
• to the sale of accessories which is closely connected with a non-commercial or commercial activity or event permitted under other legal provisions, in particular at cultural and sporting events, in leisure, recreation and amusement facilities, in catering and accommodation facilities and museums.